RONNIE O'Sullivan has been told to quit snooker if he wants to by the sport's supremo Barry Hearn.

The Rocket has lit up the Betfair World Championship – his first tournament after a year’s sabbatical. But the four-time and defending champion soured the spectacle by again claiming he would quit after racing into the semi-finals in Sheffield.

World Snooker chairman Hearn has heard it all before and says that, best player or not, he cannot indulge O’Sullivan’s whims any more.

Six-time world champion Steve Davis claimed some fans will see O’Sullivan’s comments as “disrespectful”.

Hearn, 64, said: “I cannot run a sport or a business solely around the concerns of one player. I would like Ronnie to stay in the game, but if he wants to quit then he should go and go with our blessing.

“That relates to anyone who doesn’t want to play snooker any more. They are free to go, it is their choice.

“If he did go, would it be the end of my world? No. Ronnie has retired more times than Frank Sinatra.

“There is no pressure for him to play, it is entirely his choice. Like every other player, if Ronnie doesn’t like the schedule, the travelling or anything about it, he can quit at any time. The prize money has near enough trebled in three years and the product is better with him in it, but no player is bigger than the game itself.”

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I would like Ronnie to stay in the game, but if he wants to quit then he should go and go with our blessing

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn

Davis, 55, added: “There’s a dilemma for the snooker fan. They love what comes off the end of Ronnie’s cue. They sometimes hate what comes out of his mouth because it is sometimes disrespectful to snooker.”

O’Sullivan, 37, did not have it all his own way against Judd Trump yesterday. In the first session of their best-of-33 frame semi-final he led 4-1, but the 23-year-old world No 3 hit quickly back to level at 4-4.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said that O’Sullivan’s departure would leave a void.

“When he was out, it was like having Tiger Woods out of golf,” said Hendry. “People were saying the game doesn’t need Ronnie because the standard of the top players is so high now.

“But that’s nonsense. The game needs its best player – and the other top players need him in the tournament to raise their game.

“He has not been at his absolute best yet but he’s still streets ahead of everyone at the moment. As Ronnie said, there has been a different winner of every ranking tournament and no one has yet taken up the mantle to be the governor.

“World No1 Mark Selby has always had a good season. He has won more than one big tournament, but he and the other players are not playing anywhere near the level of snooker Ronnie is playing at the Crucible.”